Hopefully, this will bring some closure to a few things, and a bit of an insight on Sheeva's past. Just because, I really wanted to throw it all out there. I think this chapter was really cute.


Kagure stared at Sheeva, an amused smirk on his face. She was working with a mop and bucket, staring blankly back at him. There was a puddle of vomit on the floor, and Joseph Cowles was sitting in a chair, looking very pale. He glanced at the mirror, and nodded as he verified what had happened.

"It's good to see you both. How are things?" He asked.

"Fine. We were worried. We had not heard from you yet, though you said you would be visiting the week after you stopped by the first time. It has been two months." She stated, continuing with what she was doing. Kagure stopped her.

"I can send somebody to clean that up, you know." He muttered. Sheeva shook her head.

"No, it will get done faster if I do it now." She refused, going back to cleaning. She strained the mop in the drain, then stuck it in the bucket and dragging the wet mop along the floor again. Kagure shrugged. No use arguing—she had a point.

"It's only been a few days, you know. I am planning on stopping by, but being as you're here, I'll just tell you." He stated. He waited while she finished, and then led them into his actual office, sitting down behind his desk and taking out a file of papers. A glass bottle clattered and rolled in the almost empty drawer, and they heard it. Sheeva arched an eyebrow.

He grabbed three glasses, and poured each of them a drink, handing them the file. He then grabbed his drink and turned his chair around. He took off his mask and set it on a hook on the wall. Sheeva ignored it. Joseph, however, was intrigued. He'd only worked with the senator on a few occasions, and had always been wondering what lied beneath the mask.

"Senator Bakhrieva..." Joseph began, trailing off, wondering if he should ask his question.

"You may call me Kagure. Right now, we are just people." Kagure stated, keeping his back turned to them. They heard the thud of his glass as he set it down. Joseph took a sip of his drink, and sighed. It was one of the good spirits, most likely something expensive that he would not have been able to afford. Sheeva merely glanced at hers, more interested in the file.

"Oh... Ok, Kagure, sir... may I ask... why the mask?" Joseph found himself asking. Sheeva slapped his arm, giving him a stern look. He looked back at her, shocked, mouthing "what?". She mouthed back to him: "that is too rude!", then turned back to the file. She snapped her head up, an angry glint in her eye.

"They want to see us, Kagure? The Elders are to question us? About what, exactly?" She demanded to know. Kagure scratched his cheek, the stubble irritating him. He took another sip of his drink.

"The humans. What they are like. How they will act." He started. Sheeva gave him a questioning look, and squinted her eyes. She felt that there was something that he was not telling her.

"Anything else?" She asked.

He remained silent for a minute. Not a good sign. He took a deep breath.

"They still want answers about the things that happened twelve years ago. Why you did what you did." He answered sternly. She glared at the back of his seat, where she felt his head must be.

She had a bad taste in her mouth at the thought of it. Yet again, she was to be questioned for her actions. Scowling, she reached for her glass and took a deep gulp of it, making a face at the strong, bitter bite of the alcohol.

"They are also wanting to know about your most recent actions. They... feel that... you are trying to start something. You have become a powerful woman, and they fear that you will influence other women to do the same." He explained, choosing his words carefully.

"They fear another revolution." Sheeva summed, crossing her arms and tapping her foot. She took another heavy drink, and almost slammed her glass back down on the desk.

"They have no right to judge me! I have no place in this world anymore! I don't need or want to have a place here! I have said it once, and I will say it as many times as I need to! I am as much a Human as I can be!" She barked, turning angry. Joseph stared at her, and scooted his chair away from her a few inches, on edge. Kagure took a deep breath. He grabbed his mask off the wall, put it back on, and turned back around to face them.

"Then tell them that. They should be wise enough to realize your words are truth." He stated, trying to give her something to say in her meeting. She scowled and sighed, holding her head in her hands on his desk.

"I still do not understand why I am required to explain myself for what happened during the first revolt. That was eons ago for me." She muttered. Joseph looked from her to the senator, and back to her again. The tension was incredibly thick, and it made him very uneasy.

It was only twelve years ago for us, Sheeva. You must understand this.

"Um... Kagure, sir?" Joseph started after a few minutes of silence. Kagure chuckled.

"Just Kagure is fine, Joseph." He reminded him. Joseph nodded, and sighed.

"You mentioned an alliance between humans and Kadessians? What for?" He asked, trying to veer the topic. Kagure nodded and sat back in his chair, folded his fingers together, and set his hands in his lap.

"I think that we could benefit. That and, there has to be some reason why we seem to be connected." He stated. Sheeva stopped, and stared at him, confused.

"What do you mean, connected?" She asked. Kagure sighed.

"Sheeva, you were sent there years before I even began to wonder if another world existed. When we built the portal, I figured that we might be sending you to another continent or island on Sferra. I had assumed we'd lost you. Until I learned that a portal, quite like the one we'd built, was destroyed in the basement of Mayfil's capital palace." He explained. Sheeva listened carefully, nodding her head.

"That was nearly twenty years ago for me. Zarkas Yavalt was sent to Earth, and I killed him. I was able to throw his body back through the portal, and blow up the laboratory. I even had the option to come back... But I could not. Looking back, I think somehow I knew then that something was strange. That we were connected, somehow. It just did not register. Not until you pointed it out." She mused, mind baffled with the revelation. It scared her greatly.

Kagure still had more to say.

"When the commotion died down, I went to look for myself. To check for clues. I felt your signature there, Sheeva. At that moment, I knew that I had at least found you. Granted, I didn't know where you were. Keep in mind, I was still under the assumption that you were on Sferra." He stood, and walked into the broom cupboard. They followed, and stared at the mirror.

"In secret, I began to work here in my office, researching and building. I even made a spell that locked my door such that only I could open it. I made two mirrors. This one to get there, and a second to get back... if it worked the same way. I didn't use it until six months ago, when Tazaro... or what we thought was Tazaro, began to attack us in search for you." He explained. Sheeva nodded, remembering how he'd pulled a tiny mirror out of his pocket and enlarged it to full-size in the back room of the library.

"Why didn't you use it earlier, Kagure, s- Joseph stopped himself from saying "sir", biting his lip hard.

Kagure stared at it, blinking.

"I hesitated. I was afraid. Afraid of what I might find. A savage continent? Would the people I meet rise against us, and declare war on the five islands? It would give us opportunity to unite, for once. But... was it worth it?" He explained, voicing the questions he had asked himself for so long.

"Then, humans are just like you. They are afraid of the unknown. They ponder. They overthink." Sheeva stated, crossing her arms. Kagure rolled the statements around in his head, pinning Human and Kadessian similarities. In that sense, they were very much the same.

"I was really stunned the first time I came here. It dropped me off in some weird place, with metal boxes that carried people around. I was even more shocked to learn that these beings did not have wings! The language barrier did not surprise me, I was expecting it." He explained, walking back into his office and sitting down. Sheeva and Joseph sat back down in their seats, and looked at him, wanting for him to continue.

"How did you find me, then, Kagure?" Sheeva demanded to know. Kagure looked at her.

"I tracked your signature." He stated simply. Sheeva gave him a look, and then nodded. Of course he'd think of that.

"I am surprised that you would remember my signature." She mentioned, taking another sip of her drink. There was a little bit left, and she downed the rest.

Kagure smiled at her beneath his mask.

"Of course I would. You practically raised me, Sheeva." He commented. Sheeva nodded, remembering the way things were.

"I am very proud of how you have grown, Kagure. Despite all of those challenges, you have remained strong, and climbed to the top. Still, the Elders control you, but in time, I think that you will join them. Maybe even change them." She complimented.

"Wait, you raised him?" Joseph interrupted. Sheeva smiled and nodded.

"Yes. I ran an orphanage here in Raynak. Kagure arrived when he was about 6 years old, after his parents were killed in a raid by Mayfil soldiers." She explained. She crossed her arms, and stared down at her knees.

"Is it still standing?" She asked, curious. Admittedly, it was the only place she would care to go. Kagure nodded.

"I've actually been helping to run the place in my free time. Which hasn't been much lately. I've been trying to secure the valley where the portal formed to... Eyarth, you said?" He asked. Sheeva chuckled.

"Earth. So, you think that we are two different planets, in two different galaxies? Well, we must be, Sferra has two moons, and Earth only has one." She asked, trying to find a way to sum things up. They stared at her, wondering what she was talking about. She shook her head and dismissed the idea. Apparently, Kadessa still had not reached a time where they could explore space.

"Back to business. I want to have a meeting with the Elders as soon as possible. I want to get back home to my family." She stated, voicing her plan. Kagure shook his head and chuckled.

"Now is not the time. It is late." He stated, pointing at the clock on the wall. Sheeva blinked, and stared at it, confused.13 hours, 72 minutes. Close to the middle of the night. It had only been morning when they'd left!

"What time did we leave, Joseph?" She asked, wanting confirmation. Joseph thought for a minute.

"Around 10, Sheeva. Why?" He asked. She looked at him, and then back at the senator.

"How long have we been here?" She barked. Kagure shook his head.

"Only an hour, I think. I take it time is different for your Humans?" He asked. She nodded as the piece clicked into place. That would explain the time differences they experienced.

She sighed, and lied back in her chair.

"You are welcome to stay here if you like. Being alone in this palace, I have far too much room for myself. You as well, Joseph." He added, silently eager for company. Sheeva had a lot to learn, and so did he.

Joseph stood, and felt the weight of the satchel tied to his side, and glanced down at it as he remembered that it was there.

"Kagure, I would like to return our teammate's belongings to their families. May I have your permission to do so?" He asked. Kagure turned to look at him.

"Tomorrow will not work. You are requested to meet with the Elders as well, Cowles." Sheeva stated, handing him the file. Joseph took it and stared at it, bewildered. Sure enough, his name was there.

Joseph sighed, and set his head in his hand, pinching the bridge of his nose. There was no talking between the three of them for at least a few minutes. The clock rang fifteen, and Kagure yawned, the nightcap kicking in and making him sleepy.

"I would like to go to sleep now. I will show you to your room. Unfortunately, all I have is the one guest room. All the others have either been taken up for scrap pieces or are currently being used." He stated as he stood and walked over to the door to his office. He opened it and stepped aside to let them through.

They filed out into the hallway. A stunning transformation from the brightly lit office, only a few gas-powered lamps lined the walls, casting a calm, warming glow on the hall. A red carpet spanned the floor, followed by a golden oriental design patterned on a background of even more red.

Sheeva paused for a moment. They were in the capital palace. She'd only been here on a few occasions before as a young child, keeping to the shadows to pilfer from the treasury. She chuckled at the faraway memory. She guessed she must have been about twelve or thirteen, living on the streets of Kadessa after running away from her mother's home on Mayfil.

How could she have forgotten?

She began to wander on her own, seemingly from memory as she traced her fingers along the walls. She paused at a small scratch in the wall, and stooped closer to examine it. It was a dent from a knife. She closed her eyes, her stomach turning as the memory rose up from the depths.

Sheeva panted as she raced through the hall, desperate to escape. No one had noticed that she'd been there, and she had the feeling that they might notice soon. The jewels and coins jangled in her pocket, and she clutched it in her hand to keep it silent.

The wind rushed through her holey shirt, and her pants sagged as she ran. She paused briefly to pull her pants back up around her waist. Wrong timing. A young boy, slightly older than she, jumped out at her from the room across, and pinned her shirt to the wall.

He sent her a glare through icy blue eyes, and she froze, her stomach dropping. She looked back at him with a pleading eye.

"Who are you,girl?" The boy hissed. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing escaped from her lips.

"Who are you?!" The boy barked, grabbing her by the arm and neck and shaking her. He stopped when he felt how skinny she was, and took pity.

"I heard it! This way!" One of the guards shouted in the distance. The boy turned his head to the noise, then back to her.

"Please, let me go. Please." She begged. He ripped the knife out of the wall, releasing her, and shoved her into a crevice in the wall. She watched as the guards caught up with the boy, their armour clicking and clacking as they moved. Sheeva froze in fear, praying that he wouldn't turn her in.

"Oh, sir, what are you doing up at this hour? You should be in bed!" One pointed out.

"I was... having a nightmare." He lied. The guards nodded, buying the lie, as the boy had frequent nightmares.

"There seems to be a problem? What has happened?" He asked.

"Somebody stole from the treasury, sir. Have you seen a little girl run by here?" The head guard asked. The boy nodded, and pointed down the hall.

"She went that way. I would have stopped her, but I assumed it was a servant girl." He lied again. The guards thanked him and took off, rushing down the hallway. The boy waited until they were out of sight to turn back to Sheeva.

"Come out. It's alright." He cooed. Meekly, she obeyed. He opened the door to the room that he had just come from, and allowed her in, checking to see if anyone had noticed before shutting the door.

"You can climb out of the window. There are vines that lead to the ground below. Stick to the right side of the yard, and you'll come to a hole in the fence." He told her. She stared at him, lost for words.

"Well? Get going." He ordered. Still, she stared, finally finding her voice.

"Why did you help me, sir?" She asked. He shook his head sadly.

"I may be the Senator's son, but that doesn't mean that I am just like him. If I become the senator, I'll be changing a lot of things. It's wrong, the way he treats the people. I hate it. It's not right!" He silenced as the guards ran by again, and she turned and rushed to the window.

"Wait. What's your name, girl?" He asked. She turned back to him, and her mouth dropped. He was offering her hand to shake it! She stared at it, and then stared at his face.

"Sheeva." She replied, accepting the handshake. He smiled.

"Tazaro."

"You seem lost in thought." Kagure pointed out, breaking her away from the memory. Slowly, Sheeva nodded.

"Yes. Where are we sleeping, Kagure? I need to rest well if I am to see the Elders tomorrow." She abruptly changed the subject, needing to get away from the hall. Kagure nodded, and waved his hand for them to follow him.

"You two don't mind sharing a bed, do you?" He asked them. They stared at him, and then caught glances with each other. They wouldn't say it, but yes, they would have a problem with it.

"I take your silence as a 'no'." Kagure announced as he turned the corner to another hallway. They walked on for a bit before stopping at another room. He took a ring of keys from his pocket and flipped through them, unlocked the door, and swung it open so that they could step inside.

It was well-kept. The bed was neatly made, the sheets washed and pressed. The pillows looked fluffed. A door to a bathroom stood at the back of the room. A cabinet and dresser stood by the giant window, open to allow the cool night air in. The curtains, long, white, and silky, waved at them.

Sheeva had to admit, it looked extremely inviting and comfortable. The bed seemed a bit too small for her liking, considering that she would have to share it with Cowles. Most likely, they would have to cuddle to stay in it for the entirety of the evening.

Kagure gave another yawn, and bade them goodnight, stepping out and going to his own bedroom.

"We're not sharing this bed." Joseph started. Sheeva smirked. So they had been thinking on the same page.

"Well, I do not want to be rude by making you sleep on the floor just because I do not want to sleep on the floor." She argued while taking off her cloak and hanging it in the cabinet. She untied her swords and leaned them against the dresser.

"And there's no way in Guyana's name that you're sleeping on the floor, either. I'll be damned if I have to sleep on the floor!" He hissed back, removing his shoes and socks. He draped his cowl over the back of the armchair. She went to walk up to him at the same time that he was walking up to her. They stopped at the foot of the bed.

"Then we'll just have to...

"Then we will just have to...

They stopped, staring at each other, with a glint of spite and malice in their eyes. Sheeva sighed.

"Share it." She finished, turning away and crawling into it. Joseph hesitated for a minute, and then shook his head and crawled in on the other side. They found that they could almost lie comfortably on their backs. Almost.

When Joseph turned, he took the covers with. When Sheeva turned on her side, she grabbed most of the pillow. Joseph retaliated by shoving her with his foot, and she growled back and shoved him off the bed.

Aggravated, Joseph stood and crossed his arms, scowling at her. She stood out of the bed and huffed, glaring at the wall.

"You shoved me out of the bed!" He spat. She rolled her eyes.

"You shoved me first." She replied.

"You pillow hog!"

"Oh? Who is the one with all the covers?" She growled.

They glared at each other for a few minutes. This obviously was not going to work... or end in a decent manner.

"I'm tired, and I want to get some sleep. What should we do, miss prude?" He asked, taunting her.

"You really are an egotistic jackass. I am not a prude! I happen to be loyal to my husbands! We will just have to..." She trailed off, fiddling with her marriage band. Joseph noticed, and sighed.

"Cuddle." Joseph finished, with a hint of distaste.

Forgive me, Draco, Blaise. She thought to herself as she slowly nodded and got back into the bed, her back to Joseph. He crawled in beside her, and cursed himself as he lied on his side as well, pulling up the covers to the both of them. He tried to keep as much distance between the both of them as he could while trying to make the best of the space and covers they had.

They didn't say another word to each other for the rest of the night.


Haha, how was that? I hope you all laughed. Laugh, damn you!

Keep looking forward to more chapters.